65th Annual Hunger Games
by OptimusPrime2017
Summary: The story of Finnick Odair's first time in the arena. The story of how the fourteen year old became a victor.
1. Chapter 1

I am Finnick Odair. I am from District 4. I am only 14 years old. I have just been reaped for the 65th Hunger Games. Me and the female tribute, Hazel Solidpath, were led to the train. We boarded it and arrived at the capitol of Panem within five hours.

Hazel and I were always close friends. We explored the floor for our district, led by Mags, our mentor. She had won the 11th Games, so she was pretty old. The poor old lady couldn't even talk. She used sign language and writing to communicate.

I grew close to our mentor, escort, and stylist. They kept saying how friendly I was. It made me laugh. The tribute parade was the next day at ten o'clock in the morning.

We ended up wearing blue clothes to represent water. In District 4, we were fishermen and fisherwomen. We easily went through the parade.

"Welcome to the 65th Annual Hunger Games!" President Snow had said. Then we went back to the tribute center. I explored my way to the training place. I wasn't allowed to train today, so I only looked around. This was going to be fun.

I slept well that night. The next morning we got our training outfits and began training for the next two weeks. I found myself best with a trident. Long and deadly. I liked it. That was the skill I performed to the gamemakers at the end of the two weeks. I got an eleven. It made me confident for the Games, which began tomorrow. I went to the interview with Caesar. He had lime green hair this year.

When I walked out and sat next to him, I grinned.

"So, Finnick, did you help he fishermen back at home?"

"Yeah. I actually have been fishing with them since I was five." I opened up.

"Your parents are fishermen too, I assume?" Caesar guessed.

"Yup." I simply answered.

"What would you do in your free time?"

"In my free time, I'd play with friends. I didn't have time for school. I worked my butt off every day. Sometimes I'd end up in the water from a strong fish." I laughed. "Good times."

"What do you think the arena will be this year?" Caesar was trying to make me think hard.

I frowned, and then scratched my head thoughtfully. "Well, I don't know, Caesar. Could be anything from forests to tropics or arctic tundra. Maybe it'll have lava. Almost impossible to know until I see it for myself." Then I added, "What do you think?"

"Like you said, Finnick, it could be anything." Caesar replied.

I raised my eyebrows with a cocky grin. "Told you."

Caesar burst into laughter along with most of the crowd. When he stopped laughing he said, "Well, you certainly did, Finnick."

We stood up. He grabbed my hand and held it in the air. "Finnick Odair!"

I walked backstage, still smiling. I stretched my back. "Whoo! That was fun."

Hazel chuckled and Mags smiled with a nod. Together, the three of us went back to the tribute center. The Avox had left food for us, and, luckily, it was still hot. We ate it, gracefully.

When it was time for bed, I couldn't sleep at all. I went to the roof and watched Caesar finishing the interviews below. I smiled remembering mine from just minutes ago.

I sat there for a while. I was still the when it was past 9 P.M. I watched the clean up and everything. I wasn't tired, and besides, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, knowing that I could meet my end in the arena tomorrow.

I heard a voice behind me. "You going to stay up here all night?"

"No." I chuckled. "Maybe past midnight, but not all night, Hazel."

I turned to face her, raising my eyebrows. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the light down on the stage go out. I stood up. An idea occurred to me. I walked towards the elevator and selected the first floor.

"Where are you going?" Hazel asked. She had gotten in with me.

"I wouldn't mind some night training." I said with a shrug.

"Are you even allowed to train?"

I didn't know the answer to that.

"Finnick?" She asked.

"No idea." I replied after a moment.

We arrived on the first floor. "You coming with me or going back to our floor?" I asked her.

"I'm going back up. We'll need our strength tomorrow. So, I am going to rest up and be ready."

"Okay." I looked at her. "Sleep well then. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Finnick." She turned and went back up in the elevator.

I left the building and walked over to the training center. They let me in and let me train. I spent a couple of hours fighting the orange beam figures. I was a sweaty, panting mess when I left at eleven. I made my way up to our floor in the tribute center.

I grabbed a quick drink of water. No one else was awake, so I quietly watched the capitol's TV. It was only replaying the interviews. I watched them until it was over. Then I got another drink and a midnight snack. I yawned and lay on the couch.

I looked at a clock. It was half an hour past midnight. We had to be up by six in the morning. I debated whether to stay up or go and sleep in my room.

I detected movement from one of the rooms. A person walked in a looked at me lying on the couch. I tipped my head to look back. "Hey, Mags."

She did some sign language for "can't sleep?"

"How would I be able to sleep knowing I might die tomorrow?" I answered. I sat up.

Mags shrugged. She went into a small kitchen area and got food and a drink. I ended up falling asleep before she came back into the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Mags shook me awake at 5:30 A.M. She did sign language to say "good morning". I chuckled. I got off of the couch, ate a quick breakfast, and had a quick talk with Mags.

"Good luck." She wrote on a notepad.

"Thanks, Mags." I murmured. "If I live, I give you all the credit for it."

We both grinned. I headed down to the first floor and out of the building with my stylist. A man on the hovercraft put a tracker inside my arm and we landed at the arena. We went into an underground room. I had snow pants and a long sleeved shirt put on. Over that was a heavy coat. It was warm in here.

I stepped into a clear tube in the corner of the room. The bottom started lifting up. "Whoa!" It took me up into the arena.

We'd be fighting in snowy mountains. There were only three different mountains. The cornucopia and our pedestals were on snowy plains at their bases. Instinct told me to get a trident and run for the mountains.

A harsh wind blew snow at us. I had to crouch to avoid being blown off of the pedestal.

A voice erupted around the arena.

"Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven." It was one of the gamemakers. "Fifty-six, fifty-five, fifty-four, fifty-three."

The gamemaker was counting down until the games began and the fighting started. I tuned out for a matter of seconds. Then I focused back on the counting.

"Eleven, ten, nine, eight." The gamemaker kept counting. "Seven, six, five, four, three, two."

 _One._ I thought.

"May the odds be even in your favor." The gamemaker finished. A loud ring went through the arena.

I took off towards the cornucopia, running faster than everyone else. I was the first to grab a weapon. I stabbed the next person who got here with the trident. Then I ran off, towards the mountains at full speed.

I knew there was only Mags who watched the Games and hoped for me to live. Mags and the others who represented District 4. My parents hadn't ever cared much for me. They probably didn't care if I lived.

I reached the middle mountain in minutes. I started dashing up the trail. Not far up, I veered away from it so I wouldn't be seen. I knew the snow would cover my tracks, so I didn't have to worry about that. I barely heard the screams of the cornucopia bloodbath over the howling wind and snow. It was still nerve-racking anyway.

But, I forced myself to trudge farther in and up the mountain. I was glad for the jacket. I was glad I had the trident. I could use it was a staff when the walking gets tough.

I scrambled around trees and climbed higher by the second. It was way colder up here than down there. It actually felt as if I were in a block of ice. Breathing got harder too. I felt ice forming on my face. I wiped it off and kept trekking onwards.

I wouldn't mind a nice, tropical beach right now. The temperature here was incredible. How could any place be so cold? I listened as the cannons from the bloodbath battle began to go off. Seemed to be at least 14 dead, unless I missed hearing a few. I wondered if Hazel was still alive. As long as I wasn't there to see her die.

Just then, I realized that the jacket had a hood. How did it take me so long to notice? I flipped it up onto my snowy head. I heard someone nearby. I gripped the trident tightly, swinging around looking for the person who made the noise. I spotted Hazel.

"Hazel!" I called out to her.

She froze and turned around. "Oh, Finnick!"

She ran over to me and hugged me.

"You alright?" I asked her.

"I was so scared." She murmured.

"You're alright now, but we have to keep moving."

She nodded. "You're right, it's freezing. Literally."

We went farther into the mountain. I found a cave and we built a fire in it. We sat down in there, trying to warm up and talking about what our next move should be.

"The careers are probably sticking near the cornucopia." I mused. "So, the other tributes ought to be up here in the mountains somewhere too."

"Yes, but how do we find them?" Hazel asked.

"I was wondering the same thing." I replied, scratching my chin. "Maybe we can wait for them to come here in the search for heat?"

"Sounds good." She seemed relieved. "No more cold snow and wind."

I snickered. "Well, the air is still cold."

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot about that."

We both burst into laughter.

"Glad I found you, Hazel." I told her through chuckles.

"Me too." She looked at me. "I'd never make it on my own, Finnick."

"I don't think I would either, to be honest." I admitted.

"Yes you would." She answered, acting serious now. "I saw you kill that tribute at the cornucopia."

"I did what I had to do. If I didn't I wouldn't have found you." I told her, gravely. "I'd be dead, like half the tributes are."

I started sharpening the points of the trident. "If no one comes by morning, let's get out of here. We have to keep moving before the careers find us."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay, Finnick. I'll follow your lead."

I laughed. "Follow the leader in the arena? Not sure if that'll work."

As the hours passed, the sky grew darker and darker. Hazel and I agreed to sleep six hours each. She slept first and I stood around guarding the cave. About midnight, I woke her up and I went to sleep. But right before I did, I told her something. "Hazel, tomorrow the careers might try to finish it quickly because of the cold weather. We'll have to watch out backs."

"I know, Finnick." She nodded in response.

"See you in the morning." I closed my eyes and let sleep pull me in.


	3. Chapter 3

Someone screaming my name woke me up. I scrambled to my feet. We were under attack by the careers. A cannon went off. I saw Hazel lying on the ground, not moving. All four careers stood them, looking at me.

 _What a nice way to wake up._ I thought, sarcastically. I fought the urge to panic. I tried to stay calm. I grabbed my trident and aimed it at them.

"You guys are both four, right kid?" The boy from District Two asked. He seemed to be the oldest, looking about 16 or 17 years old.

I didn't answer, but instead let my hatred pour over him.

The careers laughed.

My breathing increased from fear and anger. Maybe desperation too. "Hey, you stupid careers, go mess with a pack your own size."

The older boy laughed. He motioned for the others to stay back.

"You're the career leader?" I assumed.

"Oldest and strongest, four." The boy answered. He held an axe. "So, it's obvious. Yup, I'm leader here."

I aimed my trident at him, not loosening my tight grip.

"Are you that one kid? What's his name? Um…Odair? That you?" He asked me.

I ignored his question. "You want to die, two?" I snarled.

"No, and I'm not going to." The look of wanting to kill came over the boy's face. His voice hardened and rose, sounding slightly angry. "The only one dying here is you, Odair."

"Oh really?" I finally snapped. My voice grew menacing as I said, "It'll be you who dies. You'll pay for killing her and for threatening to kill me."

The other boy threw his head back in a burst of laughter. I took the chance and barged into him, catching him off guard. I elbowed him in the face, almost knocking him down, and ran out of the cave. I heard all four of them pursuing me with angry yells, especially from the one I attacked.

I turned my head to see if I could get a glimpse of how close they were. That's when I ran into the tree. A big, round tree. I forced myself to keep running, keeping my eyes in front of me, rather than behind.

I saw a knife fly past me and hit another tree. I ran on for about two minutes, until I tripped on a fallen tree. I began rolling down the mountain, letting out a yelp of surprise. I heard the careers make their way after me. I heard one let out a scream and tumble down too. I didn't know who it was, except for the fact that it was one of the two girls.

I managed to glimpse her roll past me, much faster. Then I saw a cliff. _Oh no._ I watched her roll off of it, her screams cut off, followed by a cannon. _At least that wasn't me…yet._

I grabbed onto the nearest tree, bumping my head on it by accident. I scrambled back up and started making my way to the right and up. Away from the three careers, who had frozen in shock of their friend plummeting to her death.

I broke out into a run, weaving among trees. I heard one of the remaining careers throw a knife at me. I felt it bury itself deep inside my lower right leg. I kept running.

"How many knifes do you guys have again?" I shouted at them.

I heard their leader curse with annoyance. Then I heard him start gaining on me. I turned around and faced him, driving the trident into his chest. I pulled it out and raced off, knowing he was going to die. I listened to his screams and the cannon that followed them.

Only two careers and four others remained. I raced on and on for hours. I ended up on the mountain to the left of the middle one. I had to find a way to win. A way to beat the six remaining tributes.

It was even colder on this mountain. If I wasn't freezing then, I certainly am now. I started using the trident as a staff. I heard at two more cannons, but back from the middle mountain. The careers were showing their rage to the other tributes.

I found a cave not long after sundown. I made a campfire and sat beside it, using snow to clean the blood off the trident. I couldn't sleep without someone watching out for me and I couldn't travel in the dark either.

Four tributes left. Two are careers and the other two are not. I took the knife out of my leg. I'd nearly forgotten about it. I wiped the blood off of it as well. I sharpened it with a small rock over the fire.

I yawned, but fought off the urge to sleep. Last time I slept, Hazel was killed. Couldn't let myself die from being tired. Besides, I'd probably freeze to death if I fell asleep anyway. I can't let anything like that happen. I have to win, for Hazel and for Mags.

I got to my feet and stretched my legs. I put the knife in my pocket and held my trident firmly with both hands. I tossed a few sticks into the fire to keep it burning for awhile. I was prepared for any attacks.

I heard a soft noise outside of the cave. _Uh oh._ I braced myself. And, yes, it was a tribute. She came rushing in at me with a sword. I easily defended myself, tripping her with my leg. She fell right into the campfire!

Horror was in the air. The girl screamed and cried out in pain. I kicked her out of the fire and threw her out of the cave by a not burning arm. I heard her tumbling down the mountain, still letting out a few shrieks.

I sat back against the cave wall, breathing hard. That girl was on fire. That was insane.

I was startled out of my thoughts by raspy breathing and the shape of the girl coming back up the hill. I sighed and got up, aiming my trident. She charged back into the cave, but before she could do anything else, I stabbed her in the neck. I heard her body thump to the ground. Then I heard the cannon.

I've killed three tributes so far. There were only three left as well. I cleaned the fresh, wet blood of the girl off of my trident. Then I sat down, waiting for morning. I was glad I hadn't gone to sleep after all. I would be dead if I did. I waited out the rest of the night, with no more attacks.


	4. Chapter 4: Home

I got to my feet at the first traces of dawn. What a long night. I put out the campfire with some snow and prepared to travel. I remembered that I hadn't eaten anything or drank yet. I melted some snow into water and drank it. Then I hunted and killed a rabbit. After I cooked and I ate it, I was back on the move.

Including me, there were only four tributes left. I heard fighting in the distance. I scrambled down to the lowest spot I could find on the mountain. All three of the others were fighting below. A cannon went off and one of the careers fell. The boy.

I slid down the mountain, hurrying to join the fight. I reached them just as the career killed the other tribute, who fell to the ground with blood leaking through the body's lips. The cannon went off. Now it was just me versus the last career.

I aimed my trident at her. She held a pair of sais. She held them, battle ready as well. I grinned. "Hello, last career."

"Hello, four." She snarled. "Ready to die yet?"

"Never." I spat back. "What about you?"

She showed a face of hatred, but did not answer.

"Let's do this." I braced myself, charging at her.

I shoved her to the ground and knocked one of her sais away. She did her best to fight back with the other one. She ended up putting a deep cut in my left foot. When she threw it at my throat, I blocked the attack with my trident and it flew back, hitting her in the center of the forehead.

I tumbled back as the cannon went off and the blood began to pour out. I looked away in disgust of the sight and amazed of what I just did. I stabbed the trident into the ground and stood up to my fill height, grinning.

I had just one the 65th Annual Hunger Games at the youngest age ever.

I looked up to see a hovercraft fly over me. I climbed the rope ladder that hung out of it. We flew off as soon as I was aboard.

*X*

When we got back to the capitol, they stitched and cleaned up my injuries. Mags hugged me and congratulated me.

She wrote, "I am so glad you are alright, Finnick."

I grinned back, "So am I, Mags."

Then I was dressed up and hurried to an interview with Caesar. I went onstage and sat down in a chair.

"So, Finnick, how did it feel when you found Hazel?" Caesar began.

He sighed at her being mentioned. "I was overjoyed and glad that I wasn't alone. But the next morning when the careers killed her, I was really angry. She was my best friend back in District 4 and now she's gone."

"Do you think your family will be proud that you won?"

"Heck no. They never cared much about me." I answered.

"How did it feel when you killed the last tribute?"

"When I killed that career, I felt disgusted at the sight of it, but I was really happy that I won. Happy I lived to be around a few more years."

Caesar just nodded. We stood up. And I walked backstage, concluding the interview. I hugged Mags tightly. Then we went to the tributes center and got ready to go back to District 4. To go home again. To live in the Victor's Village.

We got in the train. President Snow let me keep the trident because I had fought so well with it. I put it in my room on the train. I ate some of the food and then sat back to relax for once on the long ride.

*X*

The train pulled to a stop. I hurriedly grabbed my trident from my train room and ran back to the door.

It opened and I was greeted with cheers and congratulations. I waved at the people and grinned. I walked through the crowd, heading home.

A few hours later, I had moved all of my stuff into my new house in Victor's Village. I kept the trident leaning up in a corner of my bedroom.

My house was right next door to Mags' house. The houses weren't too pretty, but they were better than all of the older houses. I planted sea plants in the front yard and watered them, putting the watering can on the porch so that I remembered to water them tomorrow and forever on.

I went back to fishing about noon. I went back to town with a large trout and a small cod. I traded them in for some beef. I went home and cooked it, putting it in the fridge for dinner.

Then, I spent a few hours just sitting on the porch deck in a rocking chair. About 5 o'clock, I went inside and ate the whole piece of beef. Then I went back and sat in the chair again.

It started raining around six, but I still didn't move. Mostly because there was an awning over the deck, but I didn't feel like moving either.

Four hours later, I finally went back inside. I climbed into the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. I had nightmares. Nightmares of what happened in the arena. I twisted and turned in my sleep.

I opened my eyes and bolted straight upright at 2 A.M. I got up and went out to the porch. It was still raining. Most of the dirt was now mud. I walked into town. No one else was up, by the looks of it. I walked to the pond and went for an early morning swim.

At 4 A.M. I got out of the water and walked through town, back towards the house. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned.

"Hello, Mags." I said blankly.

She waved to me. She did sign language that asked if I was alright.

"Yeah, just fine." I answered. "Just need some time to get used to it all again."

She nodded, understandingly.

We walked back to Victor's Village, side by side. Then we went into our own homes.

Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Never going to be the same as it once was.


End file.
